Looking for a weeknight dinner that will have your kids asking for seconds? This baked chicken parmesan from Kathleen Ashmore, creator of this recipe and author of the best-selling cookbook Big Bites, is your answer. While traditional chicken parm can be heavy and time-consuming (the last thing any of us need on a Tuesday night), this lightened-up version delivers all the crispy, cheesy goodness without the mess or guilt.
“I even use Rao’s marinara sauce if I don’t have any of my homemade sauce on hand, so trust me when I say that this is a quick and easy, satisfying dish that you won’t hate making,” says Kat. Serve it over pasta for the little ones or alongside a crisp salad for yourself.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and sliced in half to make 8
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- Olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
Instructions
- Remove the chicken breasts from the refrigerator an hour before you plan to start cooking. This allows them to release some of the chill, and will help them crisp up and cook evenly. It’s not a dealbreaker if you don’t have the time, just expect that your crust may be a bit softer.
- Immediately slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise so it opens like a book, and slice into two pieces. You will have 8 pieces of chicken.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. (A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat.) Toss to coat and leave them to sit at room temperature for one hour.
- When the hour is up, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese.
When your oven is preheated, line a baking sheet with foil then place a wire rack on top and spray with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray. - Dredge the chicken breasts by dipping each chicken cutlet into the breadcrumb mixture and fully coating the entire cutlet.
- Place your coated chicken cutlets on the wire rack. Spray the top of the chicken cutlets with olive oil or vegetable oil spray, whatever you have. Place in the oven and bake for 20-24 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and spoon 1-2 tablespoons of marinara over the top of each cutlet. Now top with 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella per cutlet.
- Bake or broil the chicken cutlets for 5 more minutes for baking or 3 more minutes for broiling, or until the cheese is melted.
More from the Local Moms Network:
Big Bites: Kathleen Ashmore’s New Cookbook!
Watermelon Salad with Cucumber, Feta and Honey-Lime Dressing